Railroad-cab coupling



THORP & SHURTLIFF.

Patented July 17. 1860.

Witnesses= UNITED srrarss rarest GFFICE.

L. THORP AND WM. D. SHURTLEFF, OF TURNER, MAINE.

RAILROAD-CAR COUPLING.

Specigcation of Letters Patent No. 29,205, dated July 17, 1860.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, L. THoRP and WM. D. SHURTLEFF, of Turner, in the county of Androscoggin and State of Maine, have invented a new and useful Improvement in RailroadCar Couplings, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which Figure l, is a view of the platforms of two adjacent cars having our improvement attached. Fig. 2, a longitudinal, vertical, section through the platforms showing the couplings in elevation. Fig. 3, a section through the funnel shaped coupling bar. Figs. t and 5, will be referred to hereafter.

The danger to which the operatives upon railroads are exposed, of being jammed between the cars when engaged in coupling them together, and the constant deaths which occur from this cause, render some efficient method of guiding the coupling link into the buffer head or spring draw bar without the necessity of taking hold of the link by hand exceedingly desirable. For this purpose we have contrived a mechanical hand which supports and guides the link and directs it into the flaring mouth of the buffer whenever the cars are brought in contact with each other, and without requiring the aid of the operative or rendering it necessary for him to be between the cars as they approach each other.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand our invention we will proceed to describe the manner in which we have carried it out.

In the accompanying drawings A, A, are the adjacent platforms of two cars to be coupled together, B, the flaring mouth draw bar, which may be connected with the cars by means of springs in the ordinary manner.

Through the end of the draw bar (Fig. 3,) passes the shaokling pin 7", which is retained elevated and out of operation by the following contrivance. g is a frame secured to the draw bar, and which serves to support the pin and the parts by which it is operated. \Vithin this frame and pivoted thereto and to the draw bar is a catch i (seen detached in Fig. at) which is thrown forward toward the pin f so as to pass beneath its shoulder 1, by the spring 0, and is released so as to let the pin fall, by a stationary stop 6 upon the end of the platform, the catch striking against the stop whenever the draw bar is forced in.

The upper end of the coupling pin is attached to and carried by a yoke d, the lower ends of which are jointed to long levers C, which are pivoted at 2, (one on each side) to the draw bar. These levers are held down and the pin prevented from being thrown out of its link by a spring which is connected with the levers by a link h. The pin is raised for the purpose of unshackling the cars by pressure of the foot upon a bent lever H, which is pivoted to the under surface of the platform at 3 and has an arm F (Fig. 2) projecting from it by means of which the levers C, and the coupling pin are raised; the arm F, being connected with the levers by a link 4 (Fig. 2).

To the under surface of the draw bar is attached a horizontal guide bar K, and a vertical guide pin m, the object of which will be presently explained.

To the adjacent end of the other car is secured the coupling link I by a pin 00, (Fig. 2). The link I is connected with a forked bent guide lever or hand P by the rod 5, in such a manner that the link shall partake of all the motions of the hand whether up or down or to one side or the other. The hand P is pivoted at 7, to a V-shaped bar Gr (seen detached in Fig. 5) which in turn is pivoted at 6 to the draw bar; by means of the two joints 6 and 7 the hand P, is allowed to move in any direction, while together with the link I it is kept in the most elevated position and central as respects the draw bar by the flat twisted spring Q. Whenever the hand P, is depressed the link will descend with it, and whenever the hand is moved to one side or the other the link in like manner moves with it. On bringing two cars together the one arranged as shown at A, in Figs. 1 and 3, and the other with the apparatus represented upon A, in the same figures. If the platform of the car A, be lower than that of A the link will be in the proper position to enter the mouth of the draw bar, but if the platform of the car A, be higher than that of A the hand P, will strike the guide bar K, by which the link will be lowered so as to enter the mouth of the draw bar.

Should the cars be upon a curve, or should the coupling link fail from any cause to point to the center of the flaring mouth of the draw-bar, the pin m, entering between the fingers of the hand P, will move it so as to guide the hand horizontally as re quired, so that whatever may be the relative position of the adjacent platforms with respect to each other, the coupling link will always be guided into the draw bar by the forked hand P acting in connection with the guide bar K, and pin m, whereby the shackling of the cars will be insured whenever they are brought together.

It is evident that there are other methods by which my invention may be carried out without following the exact construction of parts above described for example the hand P in lieu of being forked, may have a single central prong which may be caused to enter a ring placed in the position occupied by the bar K, and pin m, and of such L. THORP. WM. D. SHURTLEFF.

Witnesses:

I. A. SHURTLEFF, J OHN L. GoT'r. 

